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Update: Label Peelers has launched their hop rhizome presale. They are offering some unique varieties including Tahoma, Sorachi Ace and Yakima Gold. In all Label Peelers has 14 varieties available. Check out the full roundup below.

Fermentation temperature has a lot to do with how your finished beer turns out.

For many of us, colder temperatures are on the way or already here. You may need a boost to keep fermentation temperatures up. Here’s a roundup of some of the available options.

The FermWrap heater is attached to your fermenter using tape. Directions say that it is okay to use this in conjunction with a carboy bag. 40 Watts. Ability to raise temperature from 5 to 20 deg F from ambient.

Description from Adventures in Homebrewing: “This rigid plastic heat pad for your fermenters and carboys is the ideal solution for cold fermenting and brewing problems. This unit provides ideal temperature for year round brewing, fermenting, and wine making in cold conditions. Convenient and easy to use, simply place on a flat surface, put your fermenter or carboy on it and plug it in. Supplies constant, steady convection heat (25 watts, 110v) without creating any hot spots. Inexpensive to run. Dimensions – 12.5″ x 12.5″

I use a reptile heating mat in my fermentation deep freeze when I need to warm the space up a bit. Think of these as heating pads that are designed to operate constantly.

The mat I’m using is 9 Watts. It has no trouble raising my fermentation deep freeze (located in my basement) by several degrees. I use this throughout the year whenever I want to push fermentation temperatures higher. I do not set my fermenter on my mat. I use it only to warm up the ambient air inside my fermentation deep freeze.

Zoo Med manufactures three sizes of these mats. The small is 8 watts, the medium is 16 watts and the large is 24 watts. Here is the specifications page from the manufacturers website.

Lucas Says: Hydrofarm heat mats for getting seedlings started are also a very affordable option. They make an inexpensive digital thermostat with a temp probe as well. I live in Southern Colorado, one of the coldest places on the continent (-40° winters anyone?) and these have done the trick for me.

Digital, Wired, Single Stage. This has the ability to control one device to maintain temperature. By default, it’s configured to run a cooling device. You can configure it to turn a heating device by changing the position of a jumper.

The STC-1000 is a very popular homebrewing temperature controller. This is a dual stage controller. That means it has the ability to control both a heating and cooling device. Great for a kegerator or a fermentation chamber/deep freeze. 110 volt version, reads in deg C.

Looking for options to serve your draft beer on the go? Here’s a roundup of some of the available options for your next tailgate or get together.Included in this Post:

Growlers

Carbonation Caps – used with PET Bottles

A Hybrid Solution

Small Draft Systems

Tips and Tools for Filling Growlers and Small Draft Containers

Techniques and equipment for dispensing full corny kegs of beer

Portable Systems

Other Issues: Chilling and Cloudiness

Growlers:One of the easiest options to serve your homebrew on the go is filling up a growler. See below for tips on getting a good growler fill. Standard growlers are easy to be had. This section focuses on some of the more interesting options.

2L, German made and pressure capable. This is a great growler that I use myself.Sources: More Beer – Northern Brewer – AIH – Midwest SuppliesThe remaining growlers are stainless. These are great because you can take them to the beach or the pool without being concerned about broken glass…

Fill the 1L or 2L Bottle just like you would a growler, put on a carbonating cap and pressurize for easy transport. See a full write up on the Kent Systems solution here.
This has the advantage of being more economical and safer vs a glass growler. Generally, PET plastic bottles will not shatter. Also, handy if you want to go into an area that restricts glass such as a pool area.Kent Systems Soda Bottle Cap and QD

The Drink Tanks Growler (with Keg Cap) is a hybrid between a growler and a small draft setup. It has a double wall, vacuum seal, stainless design and the Keg Cap provides includes tubing and a faucet. With the Keg Cap installed, the Drink Tanks Growler is a portable, small draft setup. An included CO2 charger pressurizes the system. With the double wall insulation (depending on your surroundings) you can use this without chilling it for a good bit of time.
Check it out – Here

Small Draft Setups:Small kegging setups that lend themselves to easy transport. You can either fill from your kegerator or bottle condition directly in these.

Tap a Draft System. I’m a happy Tap a Draft user. This system comes with three 1.5 Gallon Bottles, A Tap and CO2 Cartridges for serving. 4.5 gallon total capacity is just about the perfect size for a finished 5 gallon batch. Or, fill one bottle up off of your kegerator faucet. This tap also works with 3L PET Soda Bottles.Sources: More Beer – Northern Brewer – AmazonParty Pig Dispenser

Party Pig bottles hold 2.25 Gallons of Beer. Instead of using CO2 Cartridges, the party pig uses an expanding pouch.Sources: AIH – Amazon – Midwest SuppliesTips and Tools for Filling Growlers and Small Draft Containers:

Filling a growler or small draft dispenser from your draft setup is an easy and straightforward process…

Start with a cold growler. I suggest putting it in your kegerator so it’s the exact same temperature as your beer. This will reduce foaming.

Having a wet growler also helps reduce foam. Put Star San in your growler prior to chilling, swirl it around to coat all surfaces and discard jut prior to filling. If you’ll be drinking the growler right away, you can just use fresh, cold tap water.

If you’re using picnic taps a 3/8″ ID section of tubing should fit nicely on the end of your taps. If you’re using a Perlick style faucet, a section of 1/2″ ID tubing should fit on your faucet. Make sure the tubing is long enough to hit the bottom of the growler. Turn down the pressure to 4 or 5 psi and slowly fill. Close on foam and you’re good to go.

More Beer sells some very economical stainless growler fillers. These slip right in your faucet.

This is nice because it provides plenty of resistance for foam control, takes up minimal space and looks great.Sources: More Beer – Amazon – AIHPin Lock Version:

Pin Lock QD Faucet AssemblyDraft BoxesThese are for serving beer that isn’t necessarily cold yet. Ice in the cooler gets beer down to serving temperature quickly. These can take some work to dial in. I’d consider a draft box only for bigger events where you’re going to serve a considerable amount of beer.

Cold plates are available separately if you want to put your own draft box together.1 Circuit/Tap – 2 Circuits/Taps
Of course, you can also use a picnic or cobra tab and tubing

CO2/Pressure Options:

These handheld chargers are great. Compact and easy to use. If you go with this option, I’d recommend running the thing yourself. Guests tend to squeeze it for fun and sport and empty out the cartridge in short order. You just need a couple of taps to keep the pressure at an acceptable level for serving.Ball Lock Handheld CO2 ChargerPin Lock Version:

Similar to the handheld unit above, but with a regulator and much larger CO2 cartridges. The CO2 cartridge on this is more than 4 times larger than the injector featured above. The regulator also means it takes care of itself. I have one of these and love it. It has come in handy as a backup CO2 source when my main tank ran empty. You could also use this to keep an already carbonated keg at a different pressure/carbonation level from your main CO2 source.Sources: More Beer (Ball Lock or Pin Lock), Midwest Supplies (with CO2, no CO2)74g CO2 Cartridges: More Beer – Midwest Supplies

Use a compact Paintball CO2 tank to dispense your beer using this CO2 regulator designed for the task. Much more portable than your 5, 10 or 20 lb tank.Paintball Tank Regulator

Adventures in Homebrewing has a number of adapters that allow you use use other types of tanks and regulators together. The selection includes the pictured adapter that allows you to use a Sodastream tank with your CO2 Regulator and adapters that allow you to use paintball tanks with your CO2 Regulator. Check out AIH’s CO2 Tanks and Accessories Page for more info.

If you know you’re going to go through a whole keg, or multiple kegs, this hand pump is a great option. No tubing or CO2 to bother with. Of course, it’s going to cause oxidation, but that doesn’t matter if you’re drinking the beer quickly.Ball Lock Hand Pump

2.5 Gallon Kegs

If you’re looking for a smaller, more portable keg, check out this 2.5 gallon model. I own two of these and they are great.

There are some systems on the market that are designed with portability in mind.

The “Tailgate Kegging System” from Adventures in Homebrewing includes a new 3 gallon keg, small CO2 tank, regulator, tubing, disconnects and faucet. Check it out – Here

This 2.5 gallon system from More Beer includes a new 2.5 gallon keg, CO2 tank, regulator, tubing disconnects and faucet. Check it out – Here

Other Issues:Chilling

A 5-6 gallon bucket with ice has worked well for me. Some of the cube and beverage coolers fit smaller 2.5 and 3 gallon kegs well.

Cloudiness

If you don’t filter your beer and decide to strap your keg on the back of an ATV and take off, you’ll soon figure out why people filter their beer as your guests remark at how Budweiser doesn’t have the same chunks of yeast that your beer has.

Options…

1. Get it in place ahead of time and let it settle.2. Filter it. Hands on Review – Here3. Transfer clear beer to a new keg and leave any yeast behind.Got an option to add to the list? Email Homebrew Finds!

Fermentation temperature has a lot to do with how your finished beer turns out.

For many of us, colder temperatures are on the way or already here. You may need a boost to keep fermentation temperatures up. Here’s a roundup of some of the available options.

The FermWrap heater is attached to your fermenter using tape. Directions say that it is okay to use this in conjunction with a carboy bag. 40 Watts. Ability to raise temperature from 5 to 20 deg F from ambient.

Description from Adventures in Homebrewing: “This rigid plastic heat pad for your fermenters and carboys is the ideal solution for cold fermenting and brewing problems. This unit provides ideal temperature for year round brewing, fermenting, and wine making in cold conditions. Convenient and easy to use, simply place on a flat surface, put your fermenter or carboy on it and plug it in. Supplies constant, steady convection heat (25 watts, 110v) without creating any hot spots. Inexpensive to run. Dimensions – 12.5″ x 12.5″

I use a reptile heating mat in my fermentation deep freeze when I need to warm the space up a bit. Think of these as heating pads that are designed to operate constantly.

The mat I’m using is 9 Watts. It has no trouble raising my fermentation deep freeze (located in my basement) by several degrees. I use this throughout the year whenever I want to push fermentation temperatures higher. I do not set my fermenter on my mat. I use it only to warm up the ambient air inside my fermentation deep freeze.

Zoo Med manufactures three sizes of these mats. The small is 8 watts, the medium is 16 watts and the large is 24 watts. Here is the specifications page from the manufacturers website.

Lucas Says: Hydrofarm heat mats for getting seedlings started are also a very affordable option. They make an inexpensive digital thermostat with a temp probe as well. I live in Southern Colorado, one of the coldest places on the continent (-40° winters anyone?) and these have done the trick for me.

Digital, Wired, Single Stage. This has the ability to control one device to maintain temperature. By default, it’s configured to run a cooling device. You can configure it to turn a heating device by changing the position of a jumper.

The STC-1000 is a very popular homebrewing temperature controller. This is a dual stage controller. That means it has the ability to control both a heating and cooling device. Great for a kegerator or a fermentation chamber/deep freeze. 110 volt version, reads in deg C.

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